Wilkins hoped for different future

Football was a second option for Christian Wilkins. The ESPN Junior 300 defensive tackle out of Suffield (Conn.) Academy with offers from Florida State, Ohio State and Stanford would have preferred a nobler path protecting the streets.

“It’s kind of funny, I wanted to be a Power Ranger,” says Wilkins, who at 6-foot-4 and 295 pounds, would have had little problem restoring peace as possibly the Green Ranger.

Despite tipping the scales at nearly 300 pounds, Wilkins, ranked No. 107 nationally, has a résumé with several prerequisites for a superhero ninja.